I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Dark Celebrations by Calvin Demmer Published by Planet X Publications on March 11 2020
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 274
Format: eARC
Source: Author
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The nitty-gritty: Calvin Demmer offers up a tasty but bloody chocolate box of horrific tales that revolve around holidays.
I had seen Calvin Demmer’s collection The Sea Was a Fair Master around, and so when he contacted me to see if I’d be interested in reading his latest short story collection, I immediately agreed. Demmer’s ratings on Goodreads are really high, so I felt confident that this collection would work for me. And I was pleasantly surprised! The author has taken the theme of holidays and celebrations and come up with twelve horrifying tales that revolve around New Year’s, Father’s Day, Spring Break, etc., tales that mostly end in death, blood and regrets. I have to commend Demmer for making some risky decisions with his stories, many of which end with the protagonist learning a valuable lesson but often too late to do anything about it.
Here are the stories that stood out for me:
Hungry Ghosts
A couple is vacationing in China during the Hungry Ghost Festival. But while taking a walk at night, they stray off the path, only to discover that the “hungry ghosts” are actually real. I really enjoyed this creepy tale with some interesting cultural elements. In many of Demmer’s stories, his characters end up getting what’s coming to them, and this one is no exception. Moral of the story: don’t be a jerk.
Labor Day Hunt
This was fun! A man down on his luck accepts a job for some quick cash. The job is simple: go to an abandoned warehouse and help feed a meal to a group of elderly people. But once he gets there, he realizes he’s been duped. This was a batshit crazy story that took off in a different direction than I was expecting, but ended up being one of the more entertaining stories of the bunch.
Happy Dark Year
A boy and his girlfriend are reunited for New Years after going off to separate colleges. But there are some things the boy doesn’t know about his girlfriend, and he’s about to find out the hard way. This was a weird story with some very scary mermaids.
Dying Valentine
All Daniel Hill wants is to take his girlfriend out for a romantic Valentine’s dinner, but things take a weird turn and he winds up fighting for his life—against a witch. Many of Demmer’s stories seem to be cautionary tales directed toward men: be careful who you go out with or it could be your last date.
Spring Outbreak
This story was my favorite! Gwen is trying to get over a bad breakup and decides to join a friend at the beach for Spring break. She falls asleep in the hot sun, but when she wakes up, a nasty surprise is waiting for her. This one had plenty of gruesome action and surprises, and I loved the addition of some emotional layers involving Gwen’s dead brother. It also had a strong Twilight Zone vibe to it!
Independence Denied
The final story worked perfectly as a concluding tale that ties into some of the previous stories. The end of the world seems imminent, as all over the world, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions are happening at the same time. One man is spared, however, provided he agrees to worship a new god, risen from the oceans. This story had a strong Lovecraft vibe to it that I really enjoyed.
Some of the stories ended too abruptly for my taste and left me hanging without any resolution, and those just weren’t as successful for me. I also had some issues with Demmer’s writing in some cases. Awkward sentences like “Jared willed action upon himself” or “His hopes to cut down on time were forlorn” left me scratching my head in confusion and seemed in desperate need of some editing help. But I loved the overall dangerous vibe and atmospheric quality that Demmer brought to this collection.
Most of these stories are filled with doom and gloom, and just about every one ends badly for the characters. If you’re looking for something hopeful and lighthearted, then you’ve come to the wrong place. Demmer doesn’t mess around with feel-good themes and positive outcomes. Instead, he meets our deepest fears head on and shows us that nightmares are actually real. I recommend this collection to readers who aren’t afraid of a little bite to their horror fiction.
Big thanks to the author for supplying a review copy.
Good review. I think I’d like “Spring Outbreak.” Gotta dig those Twilight Zone vibes.
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…One Sentence Reviews: My 2nd Quarter 2020 Reads
Yep, that story was a lot of fun:-)
I don’t read anthology books very often but when I do I usually enjoy them a lot. All the stories sounds great too. I’m glad you liked this book!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Blog Tour: Diamond in the Rough — Review + Giveaway (INTL)
Same here, I often don’t feel like tackling a collection, but I’m usually happy when I do:-)
I’m a chicken when it comes to reading horror but I do love the idea of horror stories that revolve around various holidays. It’s certainly unique!
It was unique!
Sometimes “doom and gloom” stories can end up being very cathartic, so I don’t think I would be scared by delving into this very interesting collection… 😉
Thanks for sharing!
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…THE BLACK ECHO (Harry Bosch #1), by Michael Connelly
That’s how I felt! I love when authors don’t take the easy “happy ending” way out.
I like the idea of them being centered around holidays and it seems like you found some good ones in the mix. I may give this a try eventually. Great review.
I thought it was a good idea and he picked interesting holidays, not just your normal Christmas, Halloween, etc.
I don’t read nearly as many short stories as I once did when subscribed to one of the monthly speculative fiction magazines, but I still very much enjoy them and have found they’re often a good way to try out authors who’re new to me.
I agree, and sometimes it’s nice to have something really short to read when you don’t have much time.
You know me and short story collections – I tend to avoid them because I am so hard to please when it comes to short fiction especially horror! But these stories do sound very good and I’m glad you had a good time with them!
Yeah, horror is tough. I did like these, though:-)
I do love a good themed anthology. I think horror shorts can be kind of fascinating but I rarely read them haha. Glad you enjoyed this!
I wish I read more of them, but honestly, novels are my fave:-)
These sound so wonderful and I have the impression that you tend to pick up some of the best anthologies/collections of short stories out there! Great review, Tammy. 🙂
Lashaan Balasingam recently posted…The Art of the Last of Us Part II
It was unique for sure, thanks Lashaan!
I can’t recall seeing this one around – although to be fair I tend to skip over collections because I know that they don’t quite gel with me. Glad to see you enjoyed this one so much though.
Lynn 😀
It’s one of the few self published books I decided to take on. Definitely worth it:-)